Man's Best Friend
by Kyoko-chan and Mistress-sama
Summary: After reading a fortune cookie at a Chinese restaraunt, Riley undergoes some serious changes and must learn to accept change if he ever wants to be human again!
1. New Arrivals

Well, here's the first few chapters of my shorter National Treasure story 'Man's Best Friend'. Don't worry, I'm still working on my other stories, but I have to pick and choose which ones I'm going to work on and/or update. Well, I have a new Danny Phantom story up called 'Danny Phantom: Friday the 13th'. I'd really love to here from all of my loyal NT readers to see what you all think of my new, out on a limb story! I only have two reviews! Please read! Anywho, enough of that! I'm warning you. This story is a little weirder than most of mine, so don't be surprised when I add this new element to my story. But don't worry! If you absolutely hate what I've done in this story, you'll be glad to know that I'm not planning to do it again. Okay, story!

**Man's Best Friend**

Chapter 1: New Arrivals

Alexis Lowell sat on the couch of her new apartment. She was bored. And, she missed Riley. He had been sent on a business trip to New York and wasn't due back until Wednesday. It was Saturday. She sighed and flipped through the channels on her TV. Suddenly, she heard a knock at her door. "Chloe's here." She thought. She got up and opened the door. "It's about time you got here Chl-"

"Hey Lexi!"

Alexis was unprepared for the tight embrace she received. "Riley!" She exclaimed.

He kissed her and smiled.

Alexis was still in shock. "What are you doing back! You said you wouldn't be back until Wednesday!"

"We finished early." Riley explained.

Alexis motioned him in. Her apartment was small, having only a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and two small bedrooms. Some of Alexis's things remained packed in boxes. She had only been in the apartment for two weeks. It was sparsely furnished. Riley looked around in amazement. When she had rented the place, it had seemed so much bigger and emptier. Now, it was filled with life and color. What he couldn't understand was why Alexis chose to live in such a tiny place. Her recent help in their little treasure hunt the month before had ensured her a piece of the Finder's Fee, but she still lived simply.

He never commented on this, attributing it to her simple upbringing. Maybe she felt more at home this way.

The balcony door was open, providing a fairly good view of the Mall and its monuments half a mile down the street. A warm June breeze blew in lazily, rustling the papers on the kitchen counter.

Alexis motioned for Riley to follow her to her bedroom. "Come here."

He followed apprehensively. "What's going on?" He thought, misinterpreting Alexis's motives and blushing faintly.

Riley stopped just short of the bed as Alexis slipped around to the other side and knelt down. At first, he didn't see what she had picked up, but then he saw the tiny form of a gray tabby kitten with long fuzzy fur and big blue eyes.

"A cat!" He exclaimed, relieved and shocked at the same time.

"What's wrong?" Alexis asked with concern, seeing the look on Riley's face. "Oh no! You're not allergic, are you!"

"No." He sighed. "I'm just not really a cat person."

"Oh, but look at how adorable he is!" Alexis said, placing the fuzzy mass in Riley's hands.

"Where did you get him?" Riley asked as the stared back at him, trying to figure out who this strange man was.

Alexis knelt down again and looked under the bed. "From the SPCA. Hold on."

Riley sat down on the bed and put the kitten next to him. It promptly began to rub up against his hand and purr.

Alexis stood back up, holding another cat in her arms. This one was obviously the mother.

"Two cats!" Riley exclaimed. "Holy Lord."

The mother cat's fur stood on end and she hissed at Riley, seeing her baby beside him.

"Oh, hush Abby!" Alexis said sternly. "Riley won't hurt J.Q.!"

"J.Q.?" Riley asked.

"It stands for John Quincy." Alexis explained, setting Abby on the bed so that she could see that J.Q. was unharmed.

Riley laughed. "Abby, J.Q. I get it!"

"It was Ben's idea. But we decided to modernize the names a bit. Who goes around calling their cat John Quincy?" Alexis said.

"And since we know someone named Abigail, you named the mom Abby so none of us would be confused."

Alexis nodded.

Riley stood. "Do you want to go somewhere?"

Alexis stood and let him draw her to him. "And where do you want to go?"

"How does Golden Dragon sound?" He asked.

"You mean that new Chinese place?"

"Yup." Riley said, pulling his keys from his pocket. "I'll drive."

* * *

AN: For those of you who didn't get the whole Abby J.Q. thing, here's a short history lesson for you. John Quincy Adams was the son of Abigail Adams. 


	2. The Fortune Cookie

Okay, sorry these chapters are so short. The story itself is short. But, I promise, I will update as far as I have written before next Monday (Band Camp. You know what happens to me when marching season starts. I disappear… for a very…long…time.). So, here's chapter two! Enjoy!

Chapter 2: The Fortune Cookie

Riley stared at the chopsticks in front of him. "Do they have forks?" He asked with a sigh.

Alexis poked him with her chopsticks, deftly using them with the experience of eating Chinese for many years.

"Yeah, rub it in. You can use chopsticks. I can't. So what?"

"Riley, stop complaining." Alexis said. "Watch this." A waiter set their food on the table and left. Alexis took one of his chopsticks and stabbed on of his shrimp. "See? Makeshift fork."

Riley laughed. "Cool, thanks!"

An older Asian woman wearing a red Chinese dress approached them with a small basket. "Cookie?" She asked, holding up a fortune cookie.

Alexis shook her head. "No thanks."

"Sure!" Riley said eagerly.

The woman placed the cookie next to his plate and left.

Riley looked at Alexis. "Why didn't you get one?"

"I've never liked the taste of fortune cookies."

"Wow, who doesn't like fortune cookies?" Riley asked himself. He picked up the cookie and broke it, then retrieved the paper inside.

"What does it say?" Alexis asked with a sigh.

"It says 'Big changes are in your future. You will learn to accept change.'"

Alexis laughed. "For you, I think that fortune is about four months too late!"

Riley picked up the cookie and began eating it.

"Hey, I've got to teach Sunday school tomorrow. The topic is guys verses girls – the differences in how they think. Wanna be my guy example?"

"Sure." Riley said. "Where's your church?"

"In Bethesda."

"Wow, that's really far for church." Riley commented.

"I know, and it's kinda hard to find." Alexis said. "How about you stay in the guest room in my apartment? That way I can drive both of us there."

"Sounds good to me." Riley said. "What age group do you teach?"

"Eleventh and Twelfth grade girls."

"Sweet." Riley said.

* * *

Riley parked his car outside Alexis's apartment complex.

Once inside, Alexis's first concern was feeding Abby and J.Q. Abby glared at Riley as he entered, flashing her teeth and hissing quietly.

Riley returned the gaze. He suddenly felt curiously interested in the cat. He shook off the feeling and left the kitchen.

Alexis moved Riley's suitcase to the guestroom across the hall from her room.

Riley sat down on the couch and turned the TV on. Alexis soon joined him.

J.Q. found his way to them and mewed until Alexis picked him up and put him beside her on the couch.

Riley's ears were suddenly flooded with sounds from everywhere. "I can't here the TV over all of this noise!" He exclaimed.

"What noise?" Alexis asked.

Riley covered his ears with his hands. "Don't yell!" He said pleadingly.

"I'm not yelling." Alexis said concernedly.

Riley was shocked by the sudden array of smells he could identify. "What's going on!" He yelled. Then everything went black.

* * *

Alexis jumped up when she saw Riley faint.

"Riley!" She exclaimed, rushing to his aid. She checked his pulse. It was strong.

She managed to lift him onto the couch. "They must have over worked him." She thought. "No wonder they finished early." She decided to let him sleep and recover.


	3. A Changing Perspective

Okay, chapter 3! Man, my neck hurts from doing all of this typing!

Chapter 3: A Changing Perspective

Alexis quickly got ready for church the next morning. She was wearing a white peasant shirt and black dress pants.

Riley was still asleep when she entered the kitchen. She smiled and walked over to the couch. "Riley. Riley, wake up" She said, shaking him gently.

Riley opened a weary eye. He looked as if he hadn't slept well during the night. He was immediately bombarded with the sounds and smells from the night before. He groaned.

"You alright?" Alexis asked.

He shook his head and rubbed his temples. "I think they overworked me."

"That's what I figured." Alexis said kindly. "Tell you what. I'll postpone this lesson until next week. You should stay here and get some rest. I'll be back in two hours." She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead.

Riley was totally confused by the fact that he still felt like he could hear and smell everything. He laid back in utter exhaustion.

Suddenly, he heard the soft sound of a cat padding along quietly over the carpet. He sat up, still as a statue as Abby came around the couch and sat at his feet. She looked up at him, then cocked her head to one side as if laughing.

"Go ahead, claw me." Riley muttered, too tired to resist.

Abby meowed, but to Riley, it sounded more like human speech than an actual meow. "Why?"

Riley leapt in fright. "Holy Lord!"

"Did I scare you?" She asked sarcastically.

"Oh, now I _know _I'm dreaming!" Riley exclaimed, completely weirded out by the circumstances.

* * *

Alexis's class went fairly well, but her girls could tell there was something wrong.

"Ms. Lowell, what's wrong?" One of the girls asked.

"It's my boyfriend. His boss up in New York overworked him and now he's sick. I can't stop worrying about him."

"Awww." One of the other girls said. "That's so sweet!"

* * *

Riley backed away from Abby. He could hear the creak of the springs in the couch. He could smell Abby's malevolence.

"I don't' understand this at all! Why do I understand you!" Riley exclaimed in exasperation.

Abby leapt onto the couch, still smiling evilly. "Don't ask me what's going on. I'm just a cat." She spoke with caustic sarcasm.

"Look, just because I'm not a cat person doesn't mean I think cats are stupid." He defended.

Abby jumped into his lap and brushed her tail in his face.

Riley sneezed. "Please stop doing that."

"Why? You're not allergic." She said and continued her tormenting.

Riley suddenly felt the urge to bite her. "Watch it!" He spat and snarled at her. He stopped. "Did I just growl at you?"

"I believe you did." Abby said calmly.

Riley pushed Abby off him, ran to the bathroom, and splashed cold water on his face. "I've got to be dreaming!" He thought in a panic. He looked in the mirror at his soaked face and froze.

"What's happening to me!"


	4. Grayscale

I had to type this chapter up because it's my favorite!

Chapter 4: Grayscale

Alexis was too worried to stay for the service. She wanted to get back to Riley. She opened the door to her apartment. "Riley, I'm back." She said.

"Alexis!" Riley exclaimed. "Oh, God am I glad to see you!" He threw her arm around her.

"Riley, what's wrong!" Alexis asked in shock. "What's gotten into you!"

"I don't know!" He said in a panicky voice.

Alexis kept her voice down. "Come sit down." They both sat at her table.

"Alexis, I don't know what's happening! Last night, while we were watching TV, I all of the sudden could hear everything! Well, not everything, but stuff I had never been able to hear before, even your heartbeat! Then, I could smell all of this new stuff! I can tell you who the last three owners of this apartment were _and_ what they did for a living! And today, I could understand Abby! Now, the colors are fading from my vision!"

Alexis looked completely shocked.

"That's why I fainted last night." Riley continued. "I couldn't handle the sudden burst of information. Sensory overload."

"But you're okay now?" Alexis asked.

"No! I'm not!" Riley said. "I want to chase Abby and J.Q.! This _isn't _normal!"

"Riley, um, this is going to sound really weird, but, these are all traits of a dog. What color is my eyeshadow?"

Riley stared for a few moments. "Is it brown-gray?"

"No, it's just brown." Alexis said with concern. She stood and began to pace. "No, this isn't possible."

"What?" Riley asked.

"There's no way. No, this isn't possible. It just isn't!"

"What!" Riley demanded, jumping out of the chair.

"Riley, I think you're turning into a dog!" Alexis explained.

Riley stared at her. "Holy Lord…" He put his fingers to his forehead and collapsed.

* * *

When Riley opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a bed with a cold washcloth on his forehead. He knew Alexis was very worried about him. He could smell her fear-scent on the rag.

Alexis walked in the next instant. "Ri, you're awake."

"I don't wanna be awake. Give me the strongest sleeping pill you have and some Vikadin and let me get back to Vikadinland. At least I'm normal there." Riley moaned.

Alexis sat down on the bed next to him.

"I'm colorblind." Riley said suddenly. "I'm completely colorblind!"

Alexis put her arms around him and snuggled next to him. "It's going to be alright! Everything is going to be fine!"

He stared into her unwavering eyes.

"You know this is like watching a cancer patient die." Alexis said. "You want to help them, but you just can't."

"This will be my last night as a human." Riley said.

"How do you know?" Alexis questioned.

"I don't know. Intuition I guess." He said, gently squeezing her.

"Riley, what's gotten into you?" Alexis asked with a laugh.

"Nothing." He replied. "But I think that since this realty of ours won't exist tomorrow, I think we should make the most of the time we have left as equals."

"And what do you suppose we do?"

"Are you up for a candlelit dinner?"


	5. Reality Check

(August 7th)

Well. I'm on break from band camp, and I'm ALREADY sore! Well, I guess that's what you get when you don't practice all summer! (But you can't blame me! I broke my nose and couldn't spin for three weeks! It was only after that that my life got busy…) Anywho, I don't have a whole lot of time to update, so here it goes!

Chapter 5:

Reality Check

Alexis awoke the next morning to find a German Shepherd licking her face, it's tail wagging happily. It sat down on the floor and stared up at her with eyes that should have been a honey color, but instead were a vibrant blue. "Good morning, Riley." Alexis said, still to drowsy to completely grasp what had happened. She got out of bed and walked out of the room.

Abby made her way to Riley. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Dog-Lover! Look at you! You a mongrel now!"

Riley barred his teeth. "Shove it, furball!"

Abby cleaned herself nonchalantly. "Look who's talking. I think someone needs a reality check. Alexis can't do a thing about this. You're stuck listening to me, now!"

"If you expect me to be your loyal servant and wait on you hand and…paw and…oh, never mind! I'm not doing it! Forget it!"

"Oh, I don't expect you to be my servant." She taunted. "I expect you to be my slave."

"I've had enough!" Riley barked. He lunged at the cat who nimbly stepped out of the way. Riley hit the wall with a crash.

"Better luck next time, mutt!"

Alexis rushed in. "Riley!"

Riley picked himself up and barked again at Abby.

"Riley!" Alexis shouted. "Shut up! The appartment complex rules forbid dogs!"

Riley looked appolgetically up at her. "I'm sorry." He tried to say, but it only came out as a soft whimper. They could no longer communicate!

"Oh, right." Riley thought. "Humans don't speak dog."

Alexis smiled. "Just remember next time. I'm breaking the rules just having you here."

"Okay, why wasn't I told this before?" Riley muttered to himself.

Abby smiled. Now she knew how to get rid of Riley forever.

Riley stalked out of the room and followed Alexis to the kitchen.

Alexis was cooking something on the stove.

Riley sat next to her and stared up at her. After a few moments, she paused and met his gaze. "Does Ben know you're here?"

Riley shook his head.

"Well, that's a start. We can communicate with yes or no questions."

Riley nodded.

"Should I call Ben?" Alexis asked.

Riley shook his head vigorously.

"So what do I tell him in two days when you're supposed to come home!" She demanded, instantly regreting her harsh tone. "I'm sorry, Riley. I'm just do frustrated. I want to reverse this, but I don't know how it even happened. You don't want me to go to Ben for help, so I'm on my own. This is so sudden. My head's still spinning."

Riley suddenly remembered something. He to the living room, picked up his jacket, and took it back to Alexis. He deposited it at her feet.

"What's this for?" She asked.

Riley pointed to the pocket with his nose.

She reached down and picked up the jacket. She searched the pocket until she felt a small strip of paper. She nearly fainted when she pulled it out. "The fortune cookie! Of course! That Asian lady turned you into a dog!"

Riley stared up at her, blue eyes curious.

"C'mon." She said, pocketing the fortune. "We're going back to the Golden Dragon. I have a few questions for the cookie lady."


End file.
